Luxembourgish art
Luxembourgish art can be traced back to Roman times, especially as depicted in statues found across the country and in the huge mosaic from
Antiquity
A considerable number of sculptures and statues have been found in the ruins of Roman villas in various parts of Luxembourg, but the outstanding artistic treasure of the period is the Vichten mosaic which depicts the ancient Greek
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Vichten mosaic showing Calliope and Homer (c. 270 AD)
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Bronze statue of Mercury
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Relief of the Gallo-Roman goddess Epona, protector of livestock
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Statue of Epona
Echternach illuminated Gospel Book
The Codex Aureus of Echternach is an early 11th-century illuminated Gospel Book containing the Vulgate versions of the four gospels. One of the most lavishly illustrated Ottonian manuscripts, it was produced at the Abbey of Echternach under the direction of Abbot Humbert. The refined Echternach style of painting is characterized by rich colouring, clear shapes and careful accentuation of the figures, interpreting the art of the Master of Trier with considerable originality. The Echternach illuminators drew on the style and iconography of much older works found in the libraries of Trier and Reichenau. The Codex Aureus is one of just two manuscripts which was kept at Echternach over the centuries, most of the others being produced for the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III. It is now in the German National Museum in Nuremberg.[2][3]
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Codex Aureus of Echternach: Folio 18 verso
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Codex Aureus of Echternach: Folio 78 recto
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Codex Aureus of Echternach: Folio 19 verso
Old views of Luxembourg
Mikal Nelson. One of the oldest works relating to the
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Tobias Verhaecht: La Fontaine (16th century)
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Georg Braun, Franz Hogenberg: Luxembourg City (1598)
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Joan Blaeu: Luxembourg City (1649)
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Van der Meulen: Prise de Luxembourg (1649)
Early Luxembourgish artists
It was at the beginning of the 19th century that Luxembourgish artists finally began to acquire a spirit of nationalism resulting in works emphasizing the beauty of the city and the country as a whole.
Nicolas Liez (1809–1892), who had been one of Fresez' students, was a painter, sculptor and architect. He is remembered above all for his lithographs of scenes throughout the Grand Duchy and for his oil painting of the City of Luxembourg.[7] His collection of lithographs published in "Voyage pittoresque à travers le Grand Duché de Luxembourg" (1934) contains some of his very best work. His most famous work is his view of the City of Luxembourg from the Fetschenhof, which he drew, painted and lithographed in 1870. It shows the city when the demolition of the fortress had just begun. Despite his attempt to emphasise the fortifications by exaggerating the height of the cliffs and the railway bridge, the painting is a good representation of the city and its skyscape.[8]
Michel Engels (1851–1901) was an illustrator, painter and art teacher who is principally remembered for his sketches of the fortifications of Luxembourg City although he also painted a few watercolours.[9]
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Jean-Baptiste Fresez: Luxembourg from the Alzette River (c. 1828)
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Jean-Baptiste Fresez: Vianden near the Bridge (c. 1857)
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Nicolas Liez: View of Luxembourg from the Fetschenhof (1870)
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Michel Engels: Clervaux Castle (1886)
Artistic visitors
In the 19th century, two well-known foreigners made important contributions to the art of Luxembourg. The first was the English Pre-impressionist painter J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851) who visited Luxembourg during extended study trips in 1825 and 1834 leaving many watercolours of the city and the surroundings.[10] Victor Hugo (1802–1885), the French author, visited Luxembourg on several occasions. In 1871, he made a number of drawings of Luxembourg's castles, including Larochette, Schengen and especially Vianden.[11]
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J. M. W. Turner: Luxembourg (1834)
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J. M. W. Turner: Citadel of St Esprit, Luxembourg (c. 1839)
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Victor Hugo: Schengen Castle (1871)
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Victor Hugo: Ruins of Vianden Castle (1871)
The 20th century
The first half of the 20th century was a rich period for Luxembourgish art. Joseph Kutter (1894–1941), considered Luxembourg's most successful painter, was influenced by the Impressionists but developed his own distinctive Expressionist style. In his paintings, the subjects often stand in the foreground as if photographed. His portraits, painted with strong brushstrokes, typically show figures with excessively large noses, sometimes looking like despairing clowns, but always attracting attention.[12] From 1918, Kutter's landscapes and floral works began to present increasingly Expressionist motifs, with intense lines and strong colours. His painting of "Luxembourg", commissioned for the 1937 World Exposition in Paris is a good example of his Expressionist style with the houses stacked behind one another, the cubic form of the buildings and the exaggerated strength of the fortifications, so different from J. M. W. Turner's representation of almost the same scene.[13] Although Kutter spent a number of years in Germany, his work was most influenced by trends in France and Belgium. He was one of the founders of the Luxembourg secessionist movement.[14]
Another notable painter was the Impressionist Dominique Lang (1874–1919) whose paintings became increasingly uplifting, full of bright light and often depicting a young woman clothed in white. Using short brushstrokes, he would make abundant use of blues and greens. In 1912–13, he began to adopt the pure colouring favoured by Monet, Renoir and Pissarro. He would venture out along the banks of the River Alzette, painting scenes of orchards, flower picking and fruit harvesting or of peasants' houses in the area where he lived. His painting of Dudelange en 1917 is an excellent illustration of his characteristic aversion to industrialization. There is no sign of factories or workmen's housing in the idyllic countryside surrounding the town.[15][16]
The sculptor Claus Cito (1882–1965) is remembered above all for the Gëlle Fra (Golden Woman) sculpture crowning the Monument of Remembrance obelisk (1923), raised in memory of the Luxembourg soldiers who died for their country in the First World War. His finest work is however considered to be the marble bust of Grand Duchess Charlotte which was completed in 1939 and now stands in the former town hall in Differdange.[22]
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Frantz Seimetz: Pavilion at Echternach (c. 1904)
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Dominique Lang: Banks of the Alzette (1915)
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Nico Klopp: The Bridge at Remich (1925)
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Nico Klopp: Still Life with Fruit (1930)
Post-war contributors
Emile Kirscht (1913–1994) worked with acrylics and gouache on paper. In 1954, he was a co-founder of the Iconomaques group of abstract artists in Luxembourg.[23] Although Kirscht turned to abstract painting in the 1950s with works such as Composition and Automnal, it was not until the early 1960s when he substituted acrylics for oils that he truly mastered the style. One of his most notable works, Village (1959), makes use of geometrical forms to represent the internal lines and structures of the topic.[24]
Michel Stoffel (1903–1963), together with Joseph Kutter, is considered one of Luxembourg's most prominent painters.[25] It was in 1950 that he first started to paint in the geometric style of abstract art, leading him in 1954 to be one of the founding members and spokesman of the Iconomaques, a group of Luxembourgish artists devoted to abstract art. In 1956, he received an honorable mention at the fourth São Paulo Art Biennial. He completed two mosaics for Luxembourg's Nouvel Athénée in 1962 and became a member of the arts and literature section of Grand Ducal Institute.[26]
Closely associated with the post-war artists was the sculptor Lucien Wercollier whose impressive abstract works in bronze and marble can be found not just in public places in Luxembourg but in the surrounding countries too.[32]
One of the country's most successful contemporary artists is Su-Mei Tse who, in 2003, won the Golden Lion, a prize awarded to the best national participant at the Venice International Exhibition of Contemporary Art.[33] Les balayeurs du désert (The Desert Sweepers), her video projection there, shows street sweepers in their distinctive Paris uniforms pointlessly sweeping away at the desert sand to the soft sound of brooms against asphalt. The second major work, "The Echo", also a video, depicts an Alpine scene in which a tiny figure plays the cello, the simple sounds of the instrument being reflected by the mountains.[34][35]
Art societies
Luxembourg's principal society for art is the
See also
References
- ^ "Mosaïque aux Muses", Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art. (in French) Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "Petite histoire du Codex Aureus Epternacensis", Pastorale biblique diocésaine de Luxembourg. (in French) Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- ^ "Codex Aureus Epternacensis", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006. (in German)
- ^ Jacques Mersch, "Luxembourg: vues ancienne", Editions Paul Bruck, Luxembourg, 1977. (in French)
- ^ "Frenez, Jean-Baptiste", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006. (in German)
- ^ Georgette Bisdorff, "Jean-Baptiste Fresez", Ons stad No 61, 1999. (in French) Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Liez, Nicolas", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006. (in German)
- ^ Georgette Bisdorff, "Nicolas Liez", Ons stad, No 62, 1999. (in French) Retrieved 26 January 2011
- ^ "Engels, Michel", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006. (in German)
- ^ "Turner, Joseph Mallord William", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006. (in German)
- ^ "Hugo, Victor", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006. (in German)
- ^ "The Champion: (Joseph Kutter - 1894-1941)" Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine, P&T Luxembourg. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ Georgette Bisdorff, "Joseph Kutter" Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, Ons stad, No 73, 2003, p. 36. (in French) Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- ^ "Kutter and European Expressionism", Artline.ro. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Dominique Lang (1874-1919)" Archived 2010-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, Centre de Documentation sur les Migrations Humaines. (in French) Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ Georgette Bisdorff, "Dominique Lang", La Collection Luxembourgeoise du Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art, Ons stad, No 68, 2001. (in French) Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Klopp, Nico", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006. (in German)
- ^ "Nico Klopp (1894-1930)" Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine, Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art. (in French) Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Seimetz, Frantz", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006. (in German)
- ^ a b Georgette Bisdorff, "Frantz Seimetz" Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, Ons stad No 64, 2000. (in French) Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Sosthène Weis (1872-1941)", Musée National d'Histoire et d'Art. (in French) Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ Georgette Bisdorff, "Claus Cito, der Bildhauer aus Bascharage", Ons stad No 60, 1999. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ "Emile Kirscht", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg 2006.
- ^ Guy Wagner, "Emile Kirscht: Le chemin de l'abstraction" Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine. (in French) Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Stoffel, Michel", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006.
- ^ "Michel Stoffel" Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, MediArt.lu. (in French) Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Tissen, Foni (Alphonse)", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006.
- ^ "Foni Tissen (1909-1975)" Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine, European Institute of Cultural Routes. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Graas, Gust(ave)", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006.
- ^ "Gust Graas", Munzinger. (in German) Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ J. Ruiz Mantilla, "El luxemburgués Gust Graas muestra su obra de luz y cosmos", El País, 29 January 2004. (in Spanish) Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Wercollier, Lucien", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, 2006. (in German)
- ^ "Art and Culture in Luxembourg" Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, EU2005.lu. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Su-Mei Tse: air conditioned", Musée d'Art Moderne Grand Duc Jean, Luxembourg. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Biennale de Venise: Lion d'or attribué à l'artiste luxembourgeoise Su-Mei Tse" Archived 2012-03-08 at the Wayback Machine, Gouvernement luxembourgeois. (in French) Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ^ "Cercle artistique de Luxembourg", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006. (in German)
- ^ "A propos du CAL" Archived 2017-07-02 at the Wayback Machine, Cercle artistique de Luxembourg. (in French)
- ^ Perrine Pouget, Alice de Lestrange, Jean-Paul Labourdette, Dominique Auzias: "Luxembourg", Petit Futé, 2008, p. 250 (in French)
- ^ "Luxemburger Lexikon", Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006. (in German)